The present invention relates to apparatus for controlling lint, dust and other debris in textile plants and, more specifically, to an apparatus particularly adapted to be mounted on a circular knitting machine or like textile machine to remove such debris therefrom and to limit debris accumulation thereon.
At substantially all stages of the processing of textile fibers, particularly cotton, from the initial fiber cleaning and preparation stage through yarn spinning and fabric production, the necessary handling of the textile fibers and yarns inherently liberates minute pieces of fiber, commonly referred to as lint, as well as other particulate dust and debris which tend to become readily airborne within the work area of the textile processing plant and ultimately to settle and accumulate on machinery and other exposed surfaces within the plant interior. Lint, dust and other debris pose a variety of problems to the textile manufacturer. For example, in fabric production operations, airborne lint and dust which settle on the processing machinery or on the yarn being utilized may cause defects in the fabric being produced and may adversely affect the proper operation of the fabric-producing machinery, in turn affecting operating efficiency and revenues.
One type of textile fabric-producing machine which is particularly subject to these problems is a circular knitting machine. In particular, large-diameter circular knitting machines may have a cylinder diameter of several feet with hundreds or even thousands of needles slidably supported in axial needle slots in the cylinder periphery and a corresponding number of needles, sinkers or other knitting instruments in radial slots in a cooperating dial concentric with the cylinder. Such knitting machines typically also have numerous yarn feeding stations spaced about the circumference of the cylinder each supplied from overhead with one or more individual yarns traveling through a series of stop motions and/or yarn storage feeding devices. In such circular knitting machines, it is important to prevent or at least minimize lint and other debris accumulation on the individual yarns as they are fed, on the instruments through which they are fed (e.g., stop motions, storage feeders, etc.) and on the knitting needles and the associated operative components and surfaces of the needle cylinder and dial of the knitting machine in order to promote cleanliness of the yarns and proper operation of the knitting instrumentalities of the machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,905, commonly owned with the present invention, discloses a debris cleaning apparatus particularly adapted for mounting on a circular knitting machine of the aforedescribed type to remove accumulated debris therefrom and to limit further debris accumulation thereon, especially at the critical upper areas of the machine wherein yarn feeding and knitting takes place. Specifically, the apparatus of this patent includes a horizontal radial support arm rotatably mounted coaxial to the machine frame with a rotary paddle-type fan pivotably mounted to the outward end of the support arm for oscillating movement within a vertical plane. A drive motor rotates the support arm and fan as a unit while simultaneously imparting oscillating movement to the fan through an eccentrically driven actuating arm. In this manner, a moving airstream generated by the fan is directed through the range of its oscillating movement over the knitting and yarn feeding instrumentalities of the machine about its full circumferential extent to blow lint from the surfaces.
A comparable rotating and oscillating fan system is also produced and sold by Uniwave, Inc. of Farmingdale, N.Y., under the trade designation "SweepKleen" and a similar rotating fan system wherein the fan revolves three hundred sixty degrees (360.degree.) about the end of the rotating radial arm is produced by Uniwave, Inc., under the designation "Roll Kleen System". Another fan system produced by Uniwave, Inc. under the designation "KeepKleen" utilizes the motive force of the of the airstream generated by the fan for propelling the fan apparatus in a continuous rotary direction about the knitting machine.